Seal for bottles



April 27, 1943. N. MARINO Emu.

SEAL FOR BOTTLES Filed July 8, 1942 Patented Apr. 27, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEAL FOR BOTTLES Nick Marino and John Marina, Washington, D. 0. Application July 8, 1942, Serial No. 450,178

1 Claim.

This invention relates to bottles and more especially to bottles intended to contain gascharged liquids, such for example as carbonatedwater drinks, in whichthe pouring opening in the neck of the bottle is sealed by means of a ball valve held in tight closing engagement therewith by the pressure of the gas within the bottle.

It is an important object of our invention to provide in a bottle of the above character an improved sealing means so constructed and arranged as to insure a tight and leakproof fit between the ball valve and its seat.

Our invention has as another object to provide in a bottle of the above character, means for supporting the ball valve out of obstructing relation to the pouring opening in such a manner that, after the bottle is returned to the bottling works a brush may be readily introduced into the bottle through the pouring opening for cleaning the inside of the bottle.

. Still another object of our invention is to provide in a bottle of the above character means for retaining the ball valve away from the pouring opening after the bottle has been initially openedso that it does not interfere with the free pouring of the liquid from the bottle.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, reference being made to the annexed drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the upper end of a bottle provided with a ball valve for closing the pouring opening through the neck of the bottle;

Figure 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the neck of the bottle taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the upper end of a bottle representing a modification of the bottle of Fig. 1; and

Figure 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the bottle neck on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing in which is shown the upper end of a glass bottle I having a neck 2 provided with a pouring opening 3. The bottle is adapted to contain a gascharged liquid, such for example as any one of the many well-known carbonated beverages.

' Since the entire contents of the bottle are usually consumed within a comparatively short time after opening the bottle a replaceable stopper such as a cork stopper or a metal cap for closing the pouring opening is not absolutely necessary.

Consequently, in the case of bottles of this character, it has been heretofore proposed to employ ball valves, made of glass or other suitable material, which are forced by the pressure of the gas within the bottle against a seat in the bottle neck to maintain the pouring opening closed during the period between the filling of the bottles at the bottling plant and their opening by the consumer.

In prior bottles of this kind, it has been proposed to provide a circular seat within the neck of the bottle adapted to be engaged by the ball to close the pouring opening. Such sealing means are not entirely satisfactory for the reason that the area of contact between the ball and. its seat is too small to prevent leakage, and for the further reason that the assembly of the seat with the bottle adds appreciably to the cost of the bottle.

In accordance with our construction, a ball valve 4, made of glass or any other suitable material having a density somewhat greater than that of the liquid adapted to be contained in the bottle, is loosely confined withinthe bottle neck 2. The bottle neck upon its interior and somewhat below the pouring opening 3 is of spheroidally concave shape so as to provide a seat 5 complementary in curvature to the ball valve. Thus, under the pressure of the gas within the bottle, the ball is held in solid andtight-fitti'ng engagement with the cup-shaped seat with a substantial surface of contact between the ball and the seat, as best shown in Fig. 1.

Below the seat 5, the neck is expanded downwardly and outwardly to define a chamber or cage 6 for the ball valve. At the lower end of this cage the opposite sides of the bottle neck are pinched inwardly (as indicated in Fig. 2) to produce internal abutments 1 defining with the wall of the neck two open-bottomed pockets 8 upon opposite sides thereof. Either of these pockets is adapted to receive and support the ball 4 after the bottle has been partially emptied and the gas pressure is no longer sufiicient to retain the ball upon its seat. The pockets are of substantially equal size and sufliciently large so that regardless of which pocket the ball seats, the companion pocket will insure an adequate passageway for the flow of liquid from the bottle.

For the same reason, access for a cleaning brush to the interior of the bottle is afforded by way of whichever of these passageways is not blocked by the ball valve.

The utility of the bottle just described will be readily apparent: When the bottle is to be filled at the bottling works, the ball valve 4 will be depressed into either of the pockets 8 by introducing a pin or other suitable instrumentality through the pouring opening 3 and the gascharged liquid will be discharged into the bottle until the latter is filled. Thereupon the ball valve will be released and under the pressure of the gas within the bottle will be urged into and held tightly in engagement with the concave seat 5, preventing the gas and liquid contents from escaping from the bottle.

This seal by the ball valve will be maintained until the bottle has passed into the hands of the consumer and the contents are to be used. Then, by means of a knife or other handily available article, the ball valve will be depressed and as soon as a portion of the liquid has been poured off, with a consequent release of gas pressure, the ball will sink under its own weight into one of the pockets 8. The balance of the liquid then may be poured from the, bottle in the usual manner, free passage for the liquid from the bottle being provided by way of the companion pocket 8 not occupied by the ball.

When the bottle is returned to the bottling plant it is subjected to a cleaning and sterilizing operation priorto refilling. Because both pockets 8 are of substantially the same size and both. provide enlarged passageways therethrough, a brush may be readily introduced through the neck into the interior of the bottle to throughly scrub the sides and bottom walls of the bottle.

The form of bottlejust described may be modified as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. The bottle shown in these figures corresponds in all essential respects to the bottle .of Figs. 1 and 2 and corresponding parts are designated by similar reference numerals. However, in this form of bottle the neck is shaped so as to provide two cup shaped depressions 9 upon its interior adjacent the pockets 8 into either .one .of which the ball 5 is adapted to roll and be retained when the bottle is tilted to pouring position. These cups are disposed in a'plane extending approximately at right angles to the plane-of the .abutments 1 and are so located relative to the abutments that the .ball in moving downwardly is deflected by the abutments into one or the other of the cups, depending upon how the. bottle is being held. v

The bottle may be tilted through a Wide angle without dislodging the ball from its cup and for this reason this form of the bottle is especially suitable for containing beverages that are commonly drunk directly from the bottle.

The ball valve may be assembled with the bottle either at the time the bottle is molded, or the neck may be made in two sections and subsequently bonded together after insertion of the valve.

Obviously various changes in the form, construction, arrangement and combination of the several parts of our new bottle may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of our invention.

We claim:

The combination with a bottle of all-glass, one-piece constructionadapted to contain a gascharged liquid, said bottle comprising a neck communicating with the interior of the bottle expanded downwardly to provide a cage, of a spherical ball valve of glass-like material confined within said cage, said neck being shaped to provide a spheroidally-concave seat at the top of the cage. concentric with the pouring opening, and adapted to receive the ball under pressure of the gas within the bottle to provide a substantial area of glass-to-glass contact between the ball valve vand the seat, internalabutments upon diametrically opposite sides of the neck adjacent the lower end of the cage defining an intermediate constricted .area terminating at opposite ends in two open-bottomed pockets of approximately equal size adapted'to receive and support the ball valve out of alignment with the pouring opening of the neck, said pockets each being internally formed with a depression arranged in a plane at right-angles to the abutments, the abutments being so located with respect to the depressions as to guide the ball valve into one-or the other of the said,- depressio-ns and out of obstructed relation to the pouring opening of the neck upon initially relieving the gas pressure from the bottle.

NICK MARINO.

JOHN MARINO. 

